Monday, January 21, 2013

Dinner for Five & Roger Corman on Gore

I've mentioned on Facebook and Twitter that lately I've gotten mesmerized by Jon Favreau's "Dinner for Five." I sadly never saw this while it was running on IFC, so if you're unfamiliar (as I was), the show is Favreau inviting all types of celebrities to hang out, eat dinner, drink and swap industry stories. It's amazing, especially if you're super into film and/or comedy. Funny, insightful, interesting. You hear from actors, writers, directors, producers, comedians, musicians, all sorts of people who have done amazing work. So that's why I've been watching back-to-back episodes night after night. The episode I just watched (season 4, episode 3) is perfect for horror fans: the guests include Rob Zombie1, Roger Corman2, and Bruce Campbell3 Now that's a great trio, you're covering three completely separate eras of horror. The fourth guest is comedian and actor Faizon Love. When I started watching this I wasn't familiar with him, but he's by far one of my top favorite guests on the show now. He's just that damn funny.

The entire episode is worth watching of course, most of these are only 20-30 minutes long and not a huge time investment. Unless you watch all four seasons within a couple weeks. Like me. Don't hate, that's just how we do things in the Library of the Dead.

This was my favorite part though, at the very end where Bruce Campbell asks Roger Corman:

"What do you think suits a horror movie best, less gore? More implied, like The Haunting?"

Corman: "I've always liked less gore, I've always liked the idea of implied gore. I think if you can put something in the mind, the unconscious mind of the audience, they can create in their own mind something far more frightening than anything you can put on the screen."

Corman: "I think it's sort of... the filmmaker puts something out there, and the audience reaches out, and they come together. And they create something between them that is better than the filmmaker can do. Plus, if it's implied, every single person in the audience has a different interpretation of what is going on."

I love everything about that answer, and is exactly what I believe as well. There's nothing I could say to expand upon it that would add value to the conversation, so I'll leave you with that thought from a low-budget horror pioneer!Dinner for Five via YouTubeDinner for Five (Season 4, Episode 3) via YouTubeJon Favreau via TwitterRoger Corman via IMDB (400 titles produced!!!)[1] I may go a little overboard sometimes when talking about his films, but I have always and still think he's a really cool guy. Plus he makes bad-ass music. [2] Not long ago I got to see a Rock N Roll High School panel where P.J. Soles, Mary Woronov and Dey Young talked about working with Corman. It was also fascinating, and I wrote about it for Ax Wound's blog
[3] Totally got Bruce's autograph in a copy of "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way" at a horror convention. Even got my photo taken with him, but I have no clue where that photo is. Sorry pics-or-it-didn't-happen people.